1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fiber optic testers. More particularly, the present invention provides a fiber optic tester that can automatically and accurately test electrical and optical circuits in a manufacturing environment.
2. Description of Prior Art
Fiber optics and optical circuits are increasingly used in production of aircraft, vehicles, and equipment. Such optical circuits must be tested, to ensure high quality and reliability. Automated testing of optical circuits is becoming necessary as optical circuits become more complex making manual testing laborious and subject to human error.
For example, handheld fiber testing units are widely used to test optical circuits. However, handheld fiber testing units cannot test more than one fiber strand at a time and require technicians to repeatedly perform several complicated steps flawlessly in order to obtain accurate results. For example, a technician is typically required to individually connect both ends of each fiber strand to a handheld fiber testing unit before individually testing each fiber strand.
Handheld fiber testing units also typically require significant training and are not well suited to operation by unspecialized labor. For example, the steps required to correctly connect ends of fiber strands to a handheld fiber testing unit may be complex. Any error in making such connects drastically effects test results. Thus, training and skill are extremely important to insure accurate test results with handheld fiber testing units.
Furthermore, such units are typically very sensitive and cannot withstand rough treatment commonly found in manufacturing environments. For example, hand held fiber testing units are typically destroyed, if dropped or otherwise jarred. Thus, handheld fiber testing units are better suited to use with few fiber strands by highly trained and specialized labor in laboratory environments.
Finally, most fiber testing units are not able to accurately test relatively short fiber strands, such as 20–30 feet. Most fiber strands are rated for attenuation over long distances, such as kilometers, because attenuation over short distances is relatively minimal. In fact, short fiber stands typically have less than one decibel of attenuation. Thus, errors made in testing short fiber strands are typically more significant than those made in testing long fiber strands.
Additionally, electrical circuits are also commonly used in production of aircraft, vehicles, and equipment along with optical circuits. Currently, technicians must use two different devices to test optical and electrical circuits. For example, technicians may be required to use a handheld fiber testing unit to test optical circuits and another device to test electrical circuits. Such devices commonly operate quite differently, thereby requiring technicians to be familiar with two completely different testing procedures.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved fiber optic tester that overcomes the limitations of the prior art.